snakes look towards us and the spirits of
our fathers be with us! At the least we can swim." And I led her to
the head of the pool. We threw away our blankets--everything except an
assegai, which I held in my teeth--and we plunged in, wading as far as
we could. Now we were up to our breasts; now we had lost the earth and
were swimming towards the middle of the river, the dog Koos leading the
way.

Then it was that the soldiers appeared upon the bank. "Ah! little
people," one cried, "you swim, do you? Well, you will drown; and if you
do not drown we know a ford, and we will catch you and kill you--yes! if
we must run over the edge of the world after you we will catch you."
And he hurled an assegai after us, which fell between us like a flash of
light.

While he spoke we swam hard, and now we were in the current. It swept
us downwards, but still we made way, for we could swim well. It was just
this: if we could reach the bank before we were swept into the rapids
we were safe; if not, then--good-night! Now we were near the other side,
but, alas! we were also near the lip of the foaming water. We strained,
we struggled. Baleka was a brave girl, and she swam bravely; but the
water pushed her down below me, and I could do nothing to help her. I
got my foot upon the rock and looked round. There she was, and eight
paces from her the broken water boiled. I could not go back. I was too
weak, and it seemed that she must perish. But the dog Koos saw. He swam
towards her, barking, then turned round, heading for the shore. She
grasped him by the tail with her right hand. Then he put out his
strength--he was very strong. She took struck out with her feet and
left hand, and slowly--very slowly--drew near. Then I stretched out
the handle of my assegai towards her. She caught it with her left hand.
Already her feet were over the brink of the rapids, but I pulled and
Koos pulled, and we brought her safe into the shadows, and from the
shallows to the bank, and there she fell gasping.

Now when the soldiers on the other bank saw that we had crossed, they
shouted threats at us, then ran away down the bank.

"Arise, Baleka!" I said: "they have gone to see a ford."

"Ah, let me die!" she answered.

But I forced her to rise, and after awhile she got her breath again,
and we walked on as fast as we could up the long rise. For two hours
we walked, or more, till at last we came to the crest of the rise, and
there, far away, we saw a large